Virtue of the Shield Hero

by Allen Blaster

According to Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, Naofumi and co will find this to be especially true after returning from their Otherworld trip. Rest of Summary inside. The third installment is here. Multiple pairings. Covers Season Three Territory and beyond. Arc 10: Chapter Seven: Orca and Hakuko

150. 85: Impact on the Otherworld

I think now will be a good time for me to finally point this out. I think all of you can see at this point that the Kyo shown in this fic is very different from the Kyo shown in the anime and even the Light Novels. You've probably asked, why did I change him?

Here's the thing, I didn't change anything with the Book Hero personally outside of fleshing out his backstory. I didn't change his personality or his occupation from the LNs or what he did as a child with Yomogi or anything. Had it not been for one big actual change I made in the Otherworld before the start of the story, Kyo would have been portrayed the same as canon. So, what did I change?

One of the few things I never understood from studying the Otherworld Arc from the light novel: the fact that Kyo as the Book Hero was part of the coalition that helped out against the Demon Dragon, and yet, somehow, Kizuna had no idea who he was.

That's right, the change I made was that I decided that young Kizuna not only knew Kyo back then, but she also tried to befriend him alongside Ethnobalt and Glass and all her other allies back then. I figure she'd be so awesome as a young Hero getting the world that hated her to stand alongside her to face the threat of the Demon Dragon that she would have been capable of getting someone like Kyo, who gave little value to human life in general because of his experiences from his old world, to like and respect her to a degree that he'd come to rethink what he thought he knew from his previous life.

To put it bluntly, this version of Kyo is different because he is a result of young Kizuna bluntly throwing social norms out the window to get to know the Book Hero. To bluntly force into his skull that she wanted to genuinely be his friend, an action which irreparably changed his character actions and motivations going forward. Which, in the end, amounted to the same conclusion canon Kyo faced. Death.

That is the ultimate tragedy for all reincarnators. As the worst of the worst from society, it is near impossible and almost wholly unrealistic to get them to genuinely change to the point they acknowledge that they need redemption, much less, that they'd 'want' redemption for themselves. But even if they could be brought to that point where they'd genuinely want it for themselves because of awesome people like Kizuna or Raphtalia or Yomogi or any other awesome characters that'd love/care about them and inspire them to want to genuinely change for the better, they'd never be allowed the chance. Because 'they' would never allow for their pawns to turn against 'them' and would delete their souls on the spot for not wanting to fulfill 'their' objectives in the world any longer.

If you do not like this knowledge, that is fine. As a reminder, I am not here to please your every want or fulfill your innermost desires. I'm not here to stoke my ego or give everyone around me life lessons or to hear everyone's opinion on something or whatever.

I'm simply here to tell a story, to try my best to treat the characters of said story as close to their canon selves as possible, and to treat these same characters as if they were actual people in real life. Yes, this is fiction, these are only words on a page, and some of the tropes characters embody aren't common in real life. So what? For me, Aneko wrote these characters well enough that I can picture them and interact with them in my head as I would another person in real life. I've always been an imaginative reader. So my goal is to make the same thing possible for anyone who reads this.

You guys can read however you prefer. As for me, I want to write characters that feel genuine, whose emotions are genuine, and whose lives are genuine; whether they're side characters or not. That's the goal I want to work towards in writing this story. You all can have your own reasons or logic for writing fanfiction for Shield Hero, but this is my reason to do so. Whatever extra you guys end up taking away from the story that impacts your lives positively is something I'll consider a bonus to all the months of effort I put into every last detail. Something which, after 8+ years of writing, is something I'm still learning how to do, and something I'll gladly accept any constructive criticism for.

Anyway, this arc has two chapters left after this one. I decided to post this chapter a week early since next Monday is Christmas and I want to see if I can write another Christmas special this year. I'll be posting the other two chapters simultaneously in two or three weeks.

Oh, one last thing, I finished my last college final.

I'll look forward to seeing you all again soon for the Otherworld's finale.

---

Chapter Eighty-Five: Impact on the Otherworld

---

Surprisingly, Kizuna took the news of what'd happened better than expected.

As in, she didn't immediately break down and start crying after returning to Sickle together with the majority of the coalition army.

It was the day after their battle with Kyo. Most of the relevant people with high clearance were present in the castle's throne room when Kizuna read Kyo's journal for herself. The only ones missing from the proceedings were the Bow Hero, the new Projectiles Hero, and the Emperor of Lapis.

The first two were missing for obvious reasons. Itsuki was still shellshocked, and Rishia was at his side helping him out.

As for Corrin… Naofumi decided not to press. He didn't know the man too well, but he understood better than most when people wanted to be left alone. And the haunting look in the young Emperor's eyes told Naofumi all he needed to know.

It was better to let someone close to the young man handle it instead.

So the Shield Hero simply stayed by Kizuna's side. Watching as she read Kyo's entire journal from cover to cover.

Until, finally…

"I… I'm so glad that I was right." Kizuna smiled, gripping her friend's journal in her hands.

"You were right?" Naofumi was caught off guard. Kizuna was looking surprisingly cheerful after reading and learning everything for herself. "Right about what?"

"He was not bad… there was still good in him." Kizuna continued to smile. "I know I said otherwise in the heat of the moment before, but he really wasn't a monster.

"He just had the light of his soul buried under a suffocating veil of darkness. And when I vanished, there was no one left to tend to that lone flame and help it overcome the dark."

"I… I was right, and he… he wasn't actually an evil person…

"... … …"

Tears slowly began to form in the girl's eyes. Her body began to tremble.

"He was still a hero. Deep down, he'd been a good person. And… and I…!"

…

After a long, hollow pause, Kizuna's tears finally began to fall. She sobbed as she hugged her friend's journal to her chest. "Oh, Kyo! I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! KYO!"

Naofumi immediately took the girl into a comforting hug. Opposite him, L'Arc and Glass did much the same, with Ethnobalt joining right after.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kizuna continued to cry loudly as she broke down in their embrace.

Nearby, Yomogi, who'd listened as Kizuna read the journal from beginning to end, finally broke down herself. The swords in her hands dropped to the ground while she covered her face and began to sob herself.

"Kyo… you stupid, stupid idiot… why didn't you realize I only wanted to help you… why did you have to push me away when I cared about you?!"

As the girl sobbed, Therese walked up to her and took her into a comforting hug.

Yomogi gripped the gem girl tightly in response and sobbed into her shoulder. Therese said nothing as she moved a gentle hand through the girl's teal hair.

Nobody else in the room spoke. Dou-Lon held a solemn air around his figure. The Otherworld Heroes all stood in place, not saying anything. The newly minted Axe Hero of Naofumi's world stayed silent as well alongside his girlfriend.

Their eyes were all downcast. They'd known this was going to be painful, but they'd stayed around anyway.

Maya and Aksel moved to Yomogi and Therese. The couple still didn't say a word, but they both rested a comforting hand on the sobbing girl's back. Soothingly rubbing it while Kyo's loyal retainer released all her pain.

Dou-Lon, meanwhile, put his hands to his forehead and began to mutter a silent prayer. Kyo had been destroyed in both body and soul, but perhaps, his God would be able to hear his plea and help in giving his friends the mercy and comfort they needed right now.

Akane, Daitan, and Hoshi did nothing. The three could not look upon the scene without feeling ashamed of themselves. Ashamed of what their inaction these past couple of years had led to. While nobody said anything to blame them, they still felt partly at fault for what had happened.

If they'd only been stronger. If they'd only participated in the Waves more. If they'd only tried to be the Heroes their world desperately needed instead of standing on the sidelines, doing nothing…

Perhaps that was too harsh for them to think. After all, had they continued trying to help after Kenshiro's death, they would have easily died in a later Wave, which would have made their world's situation that much worse. But it was hard to banish such thoughts at the moment, the way the room was.

…

All the while, Naofumi continued to hug Kizuna, feeling each one of her tears as they fell onto his chest. And he couldn't help as a few of his own also fell into her hair.

"I'm sorry." The Shield Hero finally spoke in a tight voice. "It took me a while, but I eventually realized that you were right. I tried everything I could to keep my promise, but…"

"I still failed in the end," Naofumi admitted. "There wasn't anything I could do. I'm sorry I couldn't bring him back here for you, Kizuna."

The girl and Yomogi continued to cry for a while longer. And Naofumi and the others shed tears of their own as well.

…

But, eventually, Kizuna managed to pull back from the Shield Hero. Everything else in the room settled as her friends let her go, and she wiped tears from her face using her hand. "I won't say that it's fine because it's not. It's not fine that he died, Naofumi."

The girl sniffled again, but she didn't look as depressed when she looked up at him once more. "But, th-thank you for trying, at the very least. I know it must have been hard to show him mercy after all that he did, but I truly appreciate it. Even…

"Even though he said that there wasn't any way for him to atone for his actions, I disagree. It's never too late to stop and turn back. But now, he'll never know that. In fact... he probably died still thinking that I wanted him dead.

"I… I just wish I could have apologized… that I could take back everything I said to him in that moment… but now…

"... I can't…"

Kizuna was on the verge of crying again, but this time, L'Arc hugged his little sister close before anyone else could. "You know, I don't think Naofumi is the one that needs to apologize here, little sis…" The King gave Glass a meaningful look as he said it.

The Spirit Woman nodded her head solemnly and spoke next. "We were the ones that did not try hard enough to help Kyo. All this time, we could have tried to continue to reach out to him, like you did. We could have tried harder to keep in contact with him after the Waves started.

"But we did not. And because we did not… I am afraid that-"

"Guys, please don't blame yourselves!" Tears started to fall from Kizuna's eyes again as she yelled the words. "I don't want anyone to feel like they're to be blamed for this! It's clearly my fault!

"I just… I don't want that this time. I just don't want it. If I just hadn't left on that stupid fishing trip. If I'd only listened to you guys and waited till that storm had passed…"

"I can't take much more pain, so please… please don't shoulder my failures for me! That'll only make me feel worse!"

"... right." L'Arc sighed. "We'll just say that we all share the blame equally then. How about that?"

"Sniff. L'Arc, that isn't what I want!" Kizuna complained.

"Tough luck then, Kizuna!" L'Arc snapped condescendingly as he put Kizuna at arm's length, much to the girl's surprise. "Because there's no way in hell that this was only your failure!"

…

"Listen," The Scythe Hero's harsh tone deflated after a short pause and the girl continued to blink at him in shock. "Kyo tried just as hard as any of us to find you. There were some days when I collapsed into my bed out of exhaustion. But he was still next to a map of the world alongside Ethnobalt, a pot of coffee glued to his hands while they both crossed off areas where you hadn't been located.

"And after the Waves started and Kenshiro died, none of us even bothered to try and convince him to stay. To check up on him and see how he was doing.

"Hell, we had the chance to try talking to him again when dealing with the Guardian Beasts, but we didn't! We didn't try one damn time to do so!

"He just gave us a strategy to follow and we followed it to the letter, just like before!" L'Arc slapped his hands together for emphasis. "We didn't ask about him or what he was doing or try to pester him or anything! I didn't even take the time to ask him something as simple as 'how are you' even once during these past couple of years!"

"There's no way I can't beat myself up over this! Not in a million years! Not in a trillion years! I'm going to regret not saying anything to him for the rest of my damn life after all that's happened!"

…

L'Arc's voice died. His lips had fallen as he said all those words, and he stared off at something only he could see in the distance. "Guess I'm just really #$%%^& at being friends with other guys. No wonder Naofumi finds me so annoying."

Therese slowly approached, with Yomogi standing behind her. And, without saying a word, she rested a hand on L'Arc's arm.

The other Cardinal Heroes in the room slowly blinked to themselves. They looked even more ashamed at how they'd blamed themselves when they hadn't been the closest ones to the heart of the problem.

…

When the King focused on Kizuna again though, his smile, though more melancholic than laidback, reappeared with a sincere look on his face. "But hey, I promise not to beat myself up over it more than you will. Same for everyone else here. Right?"

"Agreed." Glass nodded her head. Attempting not to cry for her best friend as well.

"Yes… even if I do feel like I'm the most at fault here since I was the closest to Kyo…" Ethnobalt said as well. "I'll try to follow our King's wise counsel on this matter."

…

…

"You… you guys…" Kizuna began to break down again.

This time, the Otherworlders all gathered for one big hug as they cried together.

Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi all shook their heads. They were doing their best to recompose themselves.

Whether they'd contributed to the problem or not… L'Arc was right. There was no need to shoulder that kind of guilt individually.

They didn't feel close enough to the other Heroes to feel like joining the group hug. But the three did stand next to one another, looking at each other and deciding as one to work through this together.

…

Outside these circles of friends, Naofumi stood next to Raphtalia. Raph-Chan was resting on his companion's shoulder, and Filo had moved to walk up next to her Daddy.

Naofumi and the others couldn't feel the same pain Kizuna and her friends felt. They hadn't known Kyo back before this whole mess. A small vindictive part of the Shield Hero even felt glad that the Book Hero had gotten what he deserved in the end.

Yet that didn't keep him or his family from empathizing with what their friends were going through.

…

Naofumi rested a hand on Filo's head. Idly rubbing his daughter's hair behind her ahoge.

"Filo's sorry that Filo couldn't do more, Daddy." His daughter said, sounding downtrodden. Seeing the sight before her had saddened her again.

"No, sweetie. You and everyone else did all we could." Naofumi managed to form a small smile for her. "Daddy's going to cook you a lot of food after we're done here."

"Hmmm…" Filo didn't perk up at the mention of food. She still looked very sad.

…

"Hey," Naofumi then got down to his daughter's level by resting on his knees and kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm serious. You were amazing.

"If it wasn't for that song you sang, I would have never realized what you and Mommy already knew before that fight. I wouldn't have chosen to try and save Kyo and who knows what would have happened then.

"I'm not saying you have no right to be sad. Daddy still has some feelings of his own to deal with too. But you should be allowed to feel proud of yourself as well."

Filo stared at him, still looking guilty, but also surprised. "I'm serious. You did amazing. I couldn't be more proud to have you as my daughter, Filo." Naofumi insisted while stroking the blonde girl's head.

…

Filo finally started to smile again, and Naofumi smiled too as he took the angel girl into his warm embrace.

"Thanks, Daddy! Filo loves Daddy!" Filo cried happily.

"Daddy loves Filo too," Naofumi said in a soft voice. "Just as much as Mommy, right?" He looked up over her shoulder at Raphtalia, who was taking in the heartwarming sight.

"No… I think Mommy might love Filo a little more than Daddy." Raphtalia teased as she sank opposite Naofumi to hug Filo from behind. Tears were falling down the sides of her face though, showing how his words had made her feel so happy.

"Oi, who's the one cooking her dinner after this?" Naofumi replied in a deadpan.

"You, of course." Raphtalia winked. "I'll just make sure to brush her hair and wings the way she likes while you cook for us."

"I'm sorry, us?" Naofumi quirked an eyebrow in response.

Raphtalia and Filo both started to giggle at Daddy's reaction. Raph-Chan also began giggling to herself, and honestly, the sight was too adorable for Naofumi to even pretend to be mad.

This was far better than staying depressed about what had happened.

"Fine, you win," Naofumi smirked, and then he smiled defeatedly. "It's not like I'm not used to being your butler at this point."

"Don't worry, Filo will help Daddy cook lots and lots after Mommy brushes Filo's hair!" Filo piped up. "And Sis can help Daddy out with the prep work too, right?!"

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan cheered in agreement.

"Alright, alright." Naofumi rubbed Filo's head, then he smiled at Raphtalia.

Raphtalia smiled back, her heart feeling just a little bit fuller than before.

…

You know what, maybe he was wrong in his assumption about this whole trip being a side quest in some stupid kusoge.

Yeah, they hadn't managed to save Kyo for Kizuna and her friends. But Naofumi and his family had grown that much closer since coming to the Otherworld.

There'd been a lot of pain and some mistakes along the way. Mistakes that even got him kicked onto the couch at one point. But the Shield Hero's bonds with everyone had deepened. And he was certain that they'd continue to deepen down the road as he looked at Raphtalia.

He pictured the smiling, happy girl wearing white, standing in front of an altar while staring directly into his eyes. And he smirked only to himself.

Yeah, he was dead certain what he'd be doing after they got back and readjusted to life at their village. If this trip had taught him anything, it was that life was too short to wait for a good thing. He wanted his wife friend to know for sure that he wanted to be with her for the rest of time. And even longer if he had anything to say about it.

"Are you thinking about something?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"Shhhhhh, it's supposed to be a surprise." Naofumi pecked her on the cheek.

The girl's face began to flush red. It seemed like she might have had an idea about what her husband friend had been thinking about. And she looked all the happier about it.

"Hehehehe, Mommy and Daddy are both thinking lovey-dovey thoughts right now." Filo giggled under them.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan's eyes sparkled with excitement. She couldn't wait to see her best friend's wedding with the Shield Hero!

"Better lovey-dovey thoughts than lewd thoughts, am I right?" Naofumi wiggled his eyebrows at Raphtalia.

"Don't ruin our family moment." Raphtalia dryly replied.

"Yes ma'am." Naofumi's eyes sparkled mischievously again, causing Raphtalia to blush and focus her attention on rubbing Filo's hair again.

Naofumi wished that they could just stay in this moment together and let all the negative feelings just vanish under the light of this familial happiness and love. It did make it all seem worth it.

…

However, he was acutely aware of a certain hakuko standing at the edge of their group. He tried his best to hold himself back from butting in on the family moment, but it looked like he wanted to join in on it too.

"Oi, Dou-Lon, are you just going to stand there or are you going to join the family huddle?" Naofumi called over to him.

"Eh!? B-But Sir Naofumi! I'm just a party member- well, I guess I could say that I'm a friend at this point- but still, I shouldn't interrupt what's clearly a bonding family moment for you and-"

"Raphtalia, pull him in for me please." Naofumi rolled his eyes.

"Of course." Before Dou-Lon could react, Raphtalia grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down to the family's level. Naofumi and Raphtalia's arms fell over him.

"Yayyyy! Filo's glad to have Tiger Brother join in now!" Filo declared happily while snuggling into the Hakuko's chest.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan hopped onto Dou-Lon's head and let out a victory cry.

"Hmmm, I don't know. Dou-Lon is older than us by quite a few years." Naofumi rubbed a hand to his chin in thought. "I'd find it strange if I had to start considering him my son."

"Maybe we can label him as the quirky uncle instead?" Raphtalia suggested.

"Nah, you and I both know that Motoyasu is already fulfilling that role." Naofumi joked.

Raphtalia laughed in response while Dou-Lon still looked to be in a state of shock.

Was this real?! THIS WASN'T A DREAM, RIGHT?!

BECAUSE IF HE WOKE UP RIGHT NOW HE WAS GOING TO SCREAM IN DESPAIR AND THROW HIMSELF OUT A WINDOW AND-

"Oi, so are you in or not?" Naofumi asked again with visible annoyance.

"Yes, I gladly accept! Thank you so much, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon was in tears as he accepted his new position as a part of the Shield Hero's family.

THIS WAS HEAVEN! THIS WAS PARADISE! NO OTHER GIFT COULD EVER HOPE TO COMPARE! ALL HIS HARD WORK AND TRAINING HAD FINALLY PAID OFF! DOU-LON WAS GOING TO TREASURE THIS MOMENT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE!

HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET BACK HOME AND TELL CHEN ALL ABOUT THIS AND-

"Just keep in mind that this means you'll be referring to me by just Naofumi from now on. No more of that Sir or Lord crap." Naofumi added on with a devious smirk.

"URK!" Dou-Lon looked like he'd just been sucker-punched. "Come on! Can't I still do that?! I've referred to you by Sir for so long now Sir Naofumi! I can't just stop overnight!"

"Too bad. I find my family members calling me sir super annoying." Naofumi smirked, causing Dou-Lon's face to drain of color.

"Better get used to casually referring to your god. I'm going to have you doing that plenty when I visit Siltvelt in the future."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY WAS LORD NAOFUMI SUDDENLY BEING SO CRUEL OUT OF NOWHERE!?

Oh well, it was definitely in line with who the Shield Hero was. Dou-Lon was going to have to do his best to fix his tongue down the road.

But man, Chen was going to be so jealous when he got back! He was not only a trusted friend of the Shield Hero, but family to boot! Everyone in Siltvelt would be envious of his new elevation in influence! And…

And…

Oh… Oh Gods… DID THIS MEAN THAT HE'D HAVE TO HELP SCRUB SIR NAOFUMI'S BACK WHENEVER THEY WENT TO THE HOT SPRINGS TOGETHER SINCE HE WAS CONSIDERED FAMILY NOW!?

"What the hell are you thinking about now?" Naofumi asked in exasperation.

"Ack! Nothing! I swear that it's nothing, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon yelled.

Naofumi groaned as Dou-Lon's thought process continued frantically jumping around inside his head.

IT WASN'T LIKE DOU-LON WOULD SAY NO TO SUCH A REQUEST! BUT THAT SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING LORD SHIELD SHOULD ASK HIS COMPANION TO DO! NOT JUST ANY MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY!

AND BESIDES, IF THERE WAS ANY BACK HE'D LIKE TO SCRUB, HE'D PREFER IT BE THE BACK OF THAT MUSCLE-BRAINED AND EXTREMELY HOT LOOKING ROSE-HAIRED BEAUTY BACK HOME NAMED ECLAIR SEAET-

…

…

…

"Dou-Lon?" Naofumi asked in confusion. Why was the hakuko's face becoming bright red now?

Raph-Chan realized what it was, long before her parents did. So she jumped off Dou-Lon's head onto Raphtalia's shoulder right before Dou-Lon finally reacted to the thought process he'd been having.

PBBBBTHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The hakuko male fell back to the ground. Blood sprayed from his nose, and sparks came out of his hair as if his brain had just overloaded. "Whoa!" Naofumi jerked forward, ready to cast a healing spell on instinct.

However, after a quick examination, he found that the hakuko male was simply unconscious. Still, what the hell had he been thinking about to react like this?

"Is Tiger Brother going to be ok?" Filo asked unsurely.

"Maybe it'd be best to just not pick at his thoughts right now," Raphtalia suggested.

...

"Uh... sorry to butt in." Maya suddenly raised her voice, making the Shield Hero's family, sans the hakuko, look in her direction with several annoyed looks.

"Hey, don't give me that! There's no way in hell that someone here didn't notice that crimson fountain." The raccoon girl puffed her cheeks in response. "Or the sickeningly lovey-dovey atmosphere around you-"

"Maya." Aksel knelt down and gently whispered into his girlfriend's ear.

"Ahhh, yea, right, akhem. What I was going to say is that you should just name Dou-Lon your bloodkin, sir Naofumi." The self-made kunoichi coughed into her hand to cover her embarrassment.

"My what?" The shield hero narrowed his eyes while Filo cocked her head to the side cutely while making a 'hmm' noise. Only Raphtalia seemed to perk in recognition, as she recalled something familiar about the term.

"It's an old tradition from Siltvelt used to accept a member of another clan into one's household on a semi-official basis." Maya elaborated further. "It requires you and the other person to have spilled your blood together on the field of battle, but that part has long since been covered."

"... Yeah, that sounds fine to me." Naofumi shrugged. "Sounds better than anything else I could come up with." Like retainer, or right-hand man, or his personal favorite:

Tiger Guy #1.

Raphtalia sighed. Her Hero husband did astound her with his thoughts at times.

"Boo! But Filo wants to refer to Tiger Brother as Tiger Brother!" Filo pouted.

"That's fine, Filo. Mommy and Daddy are just going to view him differently is all." Raphtalia responded calmly.

Yeah, Naofumi agreed. They'd just leave the man be until he finally woke up again.

And besides, looking up at the Otherworlders, they seemed to have cheered up a bit too.

Hell, Kizuna was smiling more genuinely than she had before she arrived earlier. She had some great friends to help to improve her mood.

"A'ight. Bunny!"

Which was about to improve even more.

"Wha- oh come on Kizuna! Do I really have to do that right now?!" Ethnobalt asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I'm very sad, in case you forgot. And you know your bunny form helps me to not feel sad." Kizuna said with a happy smile, before staring seriously at the Boat Hero. An aura of darkness surrounded her form.

"Bunny."

"... G-Guys?" Ethnobalt looked in fright at his friends, but each one of them smiled and shook their heads, indicating how they weren't going to even try and bail him out this time.

"Aksel, Maya?" Ethnobalt tried next.

However, the two had their arms crossed. Mischievous grins covered their faces.

"N-Naofumi?" Ethnobalt tried last, looking in the Shield Hero's direction.

…

Naofumi's smile said it all. He gave Ethnobalt two thumbs up for good luck before covering his ears.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" POOF! Ethnobalt screamed as he gave into the overwhelming peer pressure and turned into his Big Cuddly bunny form for Kizuna's sake.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Kizuna's high-pitched screech of delight caused several dogs in the city to start barking maniacally while trying to escape their owners.

Meanwhile, the Hunting Tools Hero had tackled Ethnobalt's fuzzy wuzzy form and began to delightfully rub her face into every part of his fur that was possible for her to reach. "Thanks, Ethnobalt! You're the best!"

"Yes, yes, I know. Just please finish this quickly before more people arrive to witness this." Ethnobalt sighed, smiling softly as he did so.

The otherworld Heroes all chuckled and laughed at the sight after uncovering their ears. It appeared that even after all these years, they remembered how Kizuna reacted to Ethnobalt's monster form.

Akane and Daitan were still rubbing at their sore ears since they weren't used to it, but Hoshi was furiously drawing something on a piece of napkin in his hands. It was as if he was putting the scene he'd just witnessed to paper.

Actually, taking a peak over his shoulder, Naofumi found that was 'exactly' what the Ofuda Hero was doing. Wow, it looked even better than a portrait. He wasn't even using any colors, how could he make black and white look so lifelike? And he was drawing all this on a napkin too! He had true talent as a manga artist.

Things were looking better, but then…

"Ethnobalt."

Yomogi walked up to the rabbit man, suddenly interrupting Kizuna's bunny time. "You look like you have something on your mind, Yomogi. What is it?" Ethnobalt asked seriously, changing back to his normal form.

Kizuna landed beside him, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest at first because her cuddly time was cut short. But then, she seemed to catch on to the air around Yomogi and dropped her arms to her sides as she focused on her.

The teal-haired girl choked on her words at first. She seemed conflicted for a short moment… but afterward, she looked Ethnobalt in the eyes again. "Could you please make a shikigami for me and Kyo?" She finally asked.

…

…

…

The others in the room stared at her in surprise. Except for Raph-chan, who nodded to herself with determination and hopped off Raphtalia's shoulder before running up to Kyo's former retainer.

"Yomogi, I'd love to, but-" Ethnobalt began to reply, however, he cut himself off at the look of immense sadness that crossed over the pseudo-hero's face.

"Please, I… I know it's supposed to be impossible to make one if the other person is dead, and I have no right to demand anything from you after what happened and what I've done, besides…" Yomogi looked like she was on the verge of crying again, but she steeled herself. "But I… I want to have something... a memory... or an echo of him to hold on to at least. I know how stupid I sound right now, but... please, please, can you try it anyway?

"It would mean more than anything in the world if you did that."

…

Ethnobalt still looked uncertain. But then, Raph-Chan perked up and began to tug on Yomogi's hands that were firmly crossed over her chest while holding something.

"Rafu! Rafu!" She cried out happily.

"Huh?" Naofumi cocked his head in confusion. "What is she doing?"

"I'm… not certain," Ethnobalt said, looking confused as well.

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan continued to pull on Yomogi's hands and the girl let out a shaky sigh. "I know, I know, I was going to let go soon."

Slowly and tenderly, Yomogi weakened her grip and showed what she was holding to everyone.

It was an old pair of black glasses. The frame looked pretty worn out, but the lenses held in it shone with pristine clarity, a sign of continuous and diligent care.

Wait, those were the glasses Kyo had been wearing before the fight! Had that been what Raph-Chan looted from the stone statue yesterday?!

"Thank you for giving them to me and suggesting this again." Yomogi bowed gratefully to the shikigami before looking at Ethnobalt with determination again. "The ritual requires something with a close connection between the two individuals, right? These glasses are something that I gifted Kyo years ago on one of his birthdays.

"I am pretty sure that this was the first gift that I ever gave him that he genuinely loved. He wore them for years and only switched to a different pair when he left to explore other worlds. It should work as a suitable medium!"

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head in agreement.

…

Ethnobalt still looked uncertain. "I… I'm still not sure if it'd work or not."

"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped and bumped noses with the rabbitman, surprising him. "Rafu Raf Raf Rafu!"

"Heh, it looks to me like Raph-Chan is determined to try anyway." Naofumi shook his head from side to side. "We might as well. I doubt that girl will stop nagging you about it until you do."

"Naofumi." Raphtalia sighed next to him.

"What, I'm right, aren't I?" Naofumi asked Yomogi.

The boarish girl frowned, but after thinking about it, she eventually nodded. Yomogi then looked back at Ethnobalt with a hopeful expression on her face.

…

The rabbitman sighed wistfully. "Very well. Let's try and see what happens, but I won't make any promises, alright?"

"... thank you." Yomogi sniffled as she wiped a tear from under her eye.

Ethnobalt nodded his head.

They left the Throne Room and went out of the castle down to the Dragon Hourglass.

---

Ethnobalt chanted under his breath and tapped his staff against the ground.

As he did so, a circle of runes began to appear on the floor. "Please, stand inside here." The Boat Hero gestured with his staff to Yomogi.

The girl moved into the circle. She already held a knife in her hand, waiting for when her blood was needed.

Ethnobalt narrowed his eyes just like before when he did the ritual with Naofumi, watching the room for a moment. Then, after seeing no obvious flaws with the ritual so far, he hit the bottom of his staff against the floor again.

A dome of energy immediately appeared over Yomogi and around the runes on the ground. Naofumi stood to the side with the others, watching as the ritual unfolded. It felt quite different to witness it from the outside, but in a good way.

The Boat Hero began to chant again, and the runes glowed brightly around him.

"Rafu! Rafu! Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan danced around the inside of the glowing circle. Chanting in her cute little voice as she did so.

Magic power was starting to come off her too. Joining in with the ritual, much to Ethnobalt's surprise.

As the Boat Hero's second chant ended, he looked at Yomogi to ask her for her blood. But she'd already opened a cut in her finger.

A small trickle of blood fell through the air, entering the ball of light and mixing with the glasses she'd gifted to Kyo long ago.

The boat underneath Ethnobalt began to glow faintly, and he reached forward with his right hand. Small lights began to appear in the dome as the various rune circles began to glow brighter and brighter.

"We petition for one who'll protect - who will serve.

"A vassal formed from a part of herself. A servant is born."

"Rafu! Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan continued to chant, and this time, it looked like she was throwing something into the ball of light while still dancing.

Whatever it was caused the rune circles around the ball of light to brighten in intensity.

As the pair continued to chant, the ball of light twirled and grew. The balls of light surrounding Yomogi began to converge on the offerings in the middle while the rune circles were absorbed into what was being created.

As Ethnobalt finished speaking, the lights began to rotate faster and faster. But not as fast as it had with Naofumi.

Naofumi found himself holding his breath once again. He stared at the ball of light that grew brighter and brighter.

"Rafu! Raf!" Raph-Chan stopped chanting at last and smiled happily in satisfaction while crossing her arms. She then ran out from the magic circle.

"I… I don't believe it… I think it's working!" Ethnobalt said in shock. "And so smoothly too! Where did Raph-Chan learn to assist in a ritual like this?!"

"What can I say?" Naofumi shrugged with a smile. "She's just that amazing."

"RAFU!" Raph-Chan raised her arms above her head and nodded in agreement as she stopped in front of Naofumi.

Awwwwww, come here, you! Naofumi picked the shikigami up and began to rub her belly like a crazy drug addict.

PET! PET! PET! PET! PET! PET! PET!

The ball of light in the center of the ritual grew brighter and brighter for a minute. Everyone, including Yomogi, patiently watched as the ritual continued as normal. And Raphtalia tried not to pout next to her husband-friend as a new shikigami was being born amid that ball of light.

Then, finally…

Poof!

With a final sound, the light of the ritual dispersed. Revealing the shikigami that'd been made for Yomogi.

"Kao?" The creature tilted its head to the side in confusion.

The shikigami was an owl creature. It was covered in white feathers and had long yellow-clawed feet as well as a yellow beak. Its wings, when held close to its body, looked like an elaborate cloak.

The creature retained some of Kyo's… questionable fashion sense. It had a belt around one of its legs, and several more were wrapped around its chest and head, having room for vials. But its most striking feature was its blue eyes, as well as the glasses it was wearing.

It was a shikigami for Yomogi and Kyo.

"..." Yomogi fell to her knees, softly crying to herself.

"I-Is something wrong?" Ethnobalt asked in surprise.

"Kao." The owl creature began to look around the room. The confusion in its eyes was fading, revealing a strange tint of intelligence and life to them. Its voice sounded oddly like Kyo's, though a bit higher pitched, much like how Raph-Chan's voice sounded like Raphtalia's when she was a child.

Perhaps this was how Kyo had sounded like as a kid.

"No… Kyo is still gone… but, but I at least have this shikigami child to raise now." Yomogi muttered softly as she took the creature into a gentle hug.

"Kao?!" The owl creature looked surprised and tried to resist the hug at first by pushing at Yomogi's arms with its wings.

But Yomogi didn't let him escape, and eventually, the creature almost seemed to sigh before accepting it. "Kao…"

"Hmmm, now all you have to do is name it," Kizuna said with a small smile. "What would be best for it though?"

"Why not Kaoru? Since it seems to only say, Kao." Naofumi suggested sarcastically.

…

"That… that was a name I had picked out for a son, in case Kyo and I ever…" Yomogi began to sob even harder, much to the Shield Hero's surprise.

The smile that appeared on her face afterward though was real. "Kaoru… I like it. You shall be named, Kaoru." She looked down at her shikigami.

"Kao?" Kaoru tilted his head in confusion again.

Who was this girl, and why did she seem intent on hugging him so much? This felt weird. Where was he at again? Was it normal to have so many questions after just being born?

"Wow, that was surprisingly thoughtful of you, Naofumi," Raphtalia said with pride next to her boyfriend. Raph-Chan had darted over onto her shoulders. "Well done."

…

"Yeah, sure," Naofumi said, looking away while trying to hide the fear in his voice.

He'd suggested it to make fun of the owl creature. He didn't think that Yomogi would actually take it, or had even thought of using that name before.

Crap, he really hoped Raphtalia never read his mind and learned about this! He didn't want to go back to the couch already!

"What are you thinking about now?" Raphtalia asked in confusion. It was rare to see Naofumi attempting to make a poker face lately. But he seemed to be trying his utmost best to do so right now.

"N-Nothing! Come on, Filo, Raph-Chan! We've got dinner to prepare!"

"Yayyyyy~!" "Rafu!" Filo and Raph-Chan bounded after Naofumi as he raced out of the Hourglass room back towards the castle.

"Naofumi Iwatani! You come back here this instant and explain yourself!" Raphtalia yelled as she gave chase.

Oh boy, she must have been really mad or annoyed. It wasn't often that she used his full name while yelling at him.

The otherworlders in the room laughed. But they stayed there, smiling as Yomogi showed love and affection for her new shikigami.

Kaoru was going to have to get used to this from his mother. He wasn't trying to escape her grasp anymore, though, that was probably because he'd realized that resistance was futile.

"Hey, Aksel! Maya!" Kizuna suddenly shouted.

The two party members of the Bow Hero flinched at being addressed so suddenly. After witnessing the shikigami ritual for themselves, they'd been wondering whether they should also get one for themselves or not.

"Yeah, what's up?" Aksel asked.

"Just out of curiosity, you and Rishia are supposed to be Heroes too now, right?" Kizuna asked. "If so, congrats on that! I wanted to say that earlier when I saw Rishia, but well… anyway!" Kizuna clapped her hands together. "I was wondering what's up with your weapons looking… you know, transparent?"

"Huh- oh, yeah, I guess it is kind of weird." Aksel raised his ethereal axe in front of him and pulled up his HUD. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't really had a chance to look through everything yet. Do you know why my weapon is like this?" Aksel then asked Ethnobalt.

The rabbitman approached the large man. He reached out and felt along the length of Aksel's weapon form. "To be honest… I've never really seen anything like this before." The rabbitman's nose scrunched up. "This is clearly the Seven Star Axe of your world. And yet its physical manifestation is missing."

"Physical what now? Then what the hell am I holding in my hands?" Aksel asked confusedly.

"Currently, you are holding the Spirit of the Axe," Ethnobalt answered. "As for why you don't have its physical form, that I do not know, I'm afraid."

"Huh…" Aksel seemed to look through something on his HUD after a moment. "Now that I'm looking, I think I'm missing some info on this thing's help guide as well. The things about the Waves are still there, but I don't have the Axe's power-up method for some reason. It looks like I have access to the other Hero's methods though. At least, the ones I remember Itsuki telling me and the others about. OH! And I guess I really was made a Hero because my Hero Service Crest disappeared just like Raphtalia's when she became the Katana Hero."

"Interesting… would you mind coming with me? I'd be interested in learning more about this phenomenon." Ethnobalt suddenly asked.

"Oh, well um, me and Maya were planning to go to a Hot Spring to celebrate our victory and all that, so um-"

"That's fine!" Maya suddenly pushed her boyfriend in Ethnobalt's direction. She was giving him a wide grin as he looked back at her in surprise. "I'm a patient girl. I can wait till tonight."

"Oh?- Oh! Um, y-you're sure?" Aksel asked confusedly. It was odd for her to want to leave him alone.

However, she got on her tippy toes and pecked her favorite knight on the cheek, silencing him with her sincere smile. "I've hogged all of your attention in this world for long enough, Aksel. Go ahead and spend some time learning what you can about your new weapon with Ethnobalt. Who knows when we'll have the chance to learn something about it again?

"Just know that when we see each other again tonight..." She moved to whisper into his ear. "I'm going to rock your world."

"... y… yeah." Aksel gradually began to slightly blush, but he smiled as he pecked Maya on the cheek before turning to Ethnobalt. "Lead the way, friend!"

Ethnobalt gave the Axe Hero a knowing smile as he floated towards the exit of the room. However, a slight tick appeared over the Librarian Rabbit's right eyebrow as he recalled the knight's dumb joke on the way to Kyo's mansion and how it was subsequently brought to life in Luvar's new fleet.

Ethnobalt did his best to pin that wad of frustration down. So long as none of his other stupid jokes came to life like that one had, Ethnobalt would hopefully be fine.

Aksel continued to smile as he proudly marched after the Boat Hero, briefly turning around to give Maya and the others one final salute on his way out.

Maya's giggle at the adorable action turned into a full-on laugh as the large knight walked backward right into the doorframe. Causing him to stumble and cuss before he quickly turned around to catch up to Ethnobalt. Damn it, and he thought he'd finally stopped being the brunt of every joke!

"Hehehehehe… Even as a Hero, he'll never change."

Maya continued to smile and giggle to herself as she walked out soon after. Humming happily to herself as she went to check up on Rishia and Itsuki.

Now, it was just the Otherworlders remaining in the room. L'Arc still looked incredibly happy and was laughing at Aksel's mess up.

Kizuna was looking a lot better. Yomogi was now kissing the top of Kaoru's head as if he were her son, causing the owl to screech in protest. And best of all, the redhead could still clearly recall the feeling of resting on Therese's thighs from the day before.

That one act alone had made almost dying worth it. The Scythe Hero just hoped that he could do so again soon enough and preferably without almost dying. It would also be nice if he could stay conscious for long enough to maybe try getting handsy with his favorite person in all the world, and-

"Hey, L'Arc. A thought just occurred to me." Therese suddenly spoke out beside him. "Why weren't we summoned alongside everyone else when the Wave happened?"

"Eh? Why bring that up now?" L'Arc asked as he finally stopped laughing.

"I just remembered it. Master Craftsman told me before about how he and his fellow Heroes were summoned to the site of a Wave even though they were already there. Yet, that didn't happen to you or me, even though we're registered to Luvar's Hourglass as well." Therese said, looking at her King suspiciously.

…

"Oh, well, er…" L'Arc suddenly looked nervous. "You see, I… well, I definitely wasn't expecting Kyo to summon a Wave there or anything like that, but…"

Therese tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. L'Arc realized that he'd fallen onto thin ice somehow. He found himself wording his next response very carefully.

"I thought the campaign against Luvar would take longer than it had, so I might have… um… you know, to avoid causing any problems in our offensive…

"Deregistered myself from fighting in any of the Waves happening around the world." L'Arc eventually confessed.

…

…

The top of Therese's face became hidden in shadow.

L'Arc audibly gulped. "But hey, um, had I been teleported, then you and the whole army would have been teleported as well. So in a way, it's a good thing that I wasn't registered, since it would have made things even more chaotic when Kyo pulled out that Wave out of nowhere and-"

SMACK!

The palm of Therese's hand crashed into the back of L'Arc's head.

The poor King was promptly left buried in the floor up to his neck.

"YOU &^%$*&^ IDIOT!" Therese screeched. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU MADE ME WORRY AFTER YOUR SHIP WENT DOWN!?"

"Ow… whyyyyyy…" L'Arc groaned on the floor.

"Not so funny now is it!" Daitan cried out from the side victoriously, only to shrivel back at the withering glare Akane gave him.

"I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THAT WHOLE MESS AND FOUND YOU A LOT SOONER OR EVEN WORRIED ABOUT YOU A LOT LESS THAN I HAD IF YOU'D JUST TOLD ME WHAT YOU DID YOU- YOU- UGH!" Therese screeched as she pulled at her hair.

"Hey, um," Kizuna and Glass moved between the pair awkwardly. "I'm sure he had his reasons for it." Kizuna supplied.

"Yes, even I can agree that while it did cause issues in locating him, his foresight kept everyone on our side from being pulled out of their positions and fortifications." Glass hastily added while wincing in sympathy.

While it could have saved some people who were in danger, it would have ultimately lost them the battle, as the enemy would have been able to take advantage of everyone being teleported out of the fortifications they had set up in front of the fleet of Acclamators. And even if they had still ended up winning, the casualty count would have been much, much higher.

"Oh, I get that." Therese still pointed an accusatory finger at the redhead. "And that's the only reason why I am not skinning and tanning his hide right now!"

"… whyyyyyyy…" L'Arc moaned in agony again. At least it wasn't a nutshot this time.

Hadn't his lovely angel allowed him to sleep on her thighs only yesterday? Why was she being so mean now?

"Hmph!" Therese crossed her arms and faced away with a pout.

…

Guess this was his lot in life.

Oh well, he still loved her anyway, and it'd take a lot more than this for him to change his heart.

"I'm sorry, Therese." L'Arc got on his hands and knees after dizzily digging himself out of the floor and bowing in front of her. "I swear I'll make up to you for this."

Therese's scowl softened a little at the redhead's sincerity. However, she was not going to let it go that easily.

After all, it was something else she could tease him with for a while. Her scowl turned into an evil smirk.

Kizuna and Glass both groaned. And here they'd thought the two would finally be getting together after how rough that battle was. Seriously, Therese?! Were you that afraid of commitment or something?!

Meanwhile, Yomogi and Kaoru both shivered in place as the look on Therese's face steadily became more and more menacing. "I… think it'd be better to not try and intervene here." The girl commented to herself.

"Kao." Kaoru nodded his head in agreement. He still wasn't sure what was going on or who all these oddly familiar-looking people were. But either way, he got the feeling that trying to intervene would be a very bad idea.

His mother carried him out of the room, and he didn't even try to fight her on it.

…

…

…

Kizuna took in a deep breath. "Alright, I think that's everything else out of the way now, no better time than the present."

She approached the Three Otherworld Cardinal Heroes, who stood at attention when they realized the focus was finally back on them again.

"Guys, besides the journal, Naofumi also gave me the page Kyo left behind specifically meant for me. In it, along with some other information, was the Vassal Book's Power-Up Method."

"..." The three remained silent. Watching her while shuffling in place.

"I'm glad you three managed to survive that whole ordeal. I really am. Hell, I'm glad you learned from my style of fighting and managed to contribute to defeating Kyo at the end. I'm proud of how far you three have come compared to when we first met.

"But if we're to move forward and save our world together, then we have to share our methods. We can't afford to remain as weak as we are."

…

"Kizuna…" Daitan was the one to speak up this time. "It's not like we don't want to believe you…

"But how do you share methods with other Heroes?" Hoshi finished the sentence.

Akane remained silent. But there was a hopeful spark in her blue eyes as she stared at the Hunting Tools Hero.

"How do you share them?" Kizuna tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You just tell them to each other."

…

…

The Otherworlders faces all fell. "We… well, we tried to do that in the past already," Hoshi admitted. "I can't remember if Daitan and Akane shared any of theirs or not. But I remember trying to tell them about [Growth Revision], and it never appeared for them."

"Yeah, it didn't work even when Ken-sensei tried to tell us his, during our training." Daitan shrugged. "I don't think it's going to work, sorry."

Hoshi smiled sadly while he shrugged as well. Akane remained silent nearby.

"Huh?... Am I missing something here, Glass?" Kizuna asked in confusion.

"I… believe I might understand the problem." Glass walked forward then. Stopping in front of the Heroes of her world. "Back then, when Kenshiro tried to teach you about this function, you'd only been in the world for a few weeks. You had as of yet to really bond and trust one another, correct?"

"I, well… … yes," Daitan admitted. "Ken-sensei was amazing, but at the end of the day, the three of us were strangers who didn't know anything about one another besides the fact that we were summoned to save this world together."

"Indeed. Yet how do you feel about each other now?" Glass pressed on.

"... now, I would do anything for my friends." Daitan smiled. "Even if it means stripping myself naked so I can aggro the enemy's attention off of them."

"Yeah, can we just forget that ever happened?" Akane sighed audibly.

"I thought we agreed to never bring that up again," Hoshi said in a dry voice.

"Come on, you have to admit that I pulled off the nude bod really… well, anyway." Daitan cut himself off, forcing down a flush of embarrassment at how the Heroes glared at him while Glass and the others looked confused. "I'd say I trust not only them but you guys too."

"Then trust me when I say this…" Glass paused for emphasis. "You do not just tell each other what your strengthening methods are. You have to believe that what is being shared is real and that it is something you can use."

"The Heroes of the world have to rely on one another to survive. The power-up methods work similarly. You have to believe that what works for one Hero works for you as well. Doing so will deepen your bonds with your fellow Heroes.

"And I do believe that what you said applies to your compatriots as well. After everything the three of you have gone through, you trust each other on the same level that me and L'Arc and Ethnobalt did when we first shared our methods with Kizuna.

"So do not be afraid. Try it and see for yourselves."

…

…

Akane gripped her dress tightly, but as the Heroes looked at one another, she stepped forward into the group first. "Guys, my, my…"

"..."

"..."

The girl hung her head in shame. "My core method is [Sharing]. The more power-up methods are shared between Heroes, the stronger those methods become." She finally admitted.

…

…

…

The girl looked like she was going to burn a hole into the ground from embarrassment and die on the spot. She knew she had no right to be standing there anymore. Not when she'd known that whole time what her main method was. And she hadn't even mentioned her second method yet!

They both relied on others to become stronger. So the fact that she hadn't at least mentioned them before was downright atrocious.

Seriously, she wouldn't be surprised if the others laughed at her in disbelief, or otherwise scorned her for making things so unnecessarily hard for them, and-

"Oh, nice! That's super cool Akane! It appeared on my HUD just now!" Daitan said excitedly.

"Mine too!" Hoshi also sounded excited. It was a strange emotion to see on the normally Monochrome Hero's face.

Akane was brought out of her trainwreck of self-depreciation at her friends' words. "H-Huh?!" She said in shock.

"Yeah, I have a new tab in my weapon's help guide." Daitan pointed out something only he could see on his HUD. "[Sharing] appeared being listed under your weapon, and my stats have already seen an increase because of it!"

"This is super cool!" Hoshi said, his gray eyes gleaming. "My stats have all gone up! This is amazing! Itsuki and the others were telling us the truth about how they became stronger all along!"

The two male Heroes started to look even happier than before. Meanwhile, their heroine friend looked more and more shocked at what the two were saying.

"W-W-WHA-?! Didn't you two hear me though?!" Akane nearly shrieked. "My method relies on sharing with others, and-"

"And it's understandable why you didn't share it with us before." Daitan then cut her off, much to her surprise.

There was a look of seriousness on the manlet's face that she'd never seen before. "I remember what you told me about your experiences in your world. Hell, I'm not surprised you couldn't share this till now, since you had every reason not to trust anyone around you. Especially with the way I acted in the past. There was no logical way you or anyone else would have been able to trust someone as stupid as me.

"So, you know, I'm not mad in the slightest. Just know that I'm super happy that I'm able to trust you more than I did back then. And that you trust me more too!"

"Heh. Good choice of words, Daitan." Hoshi smiled next to him. "I couldn't have said it any better myself."

…

Tears began to slowly gather in the Jewel Heroine's blue eyes. Her tall form shook and she crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to Daitan saying one of the kindest things she'd ever heard in her entire life. Was this seriously the guy who'd stripped himself naked to fight the big bad just yesterday?!

"Come on, don't break down on us now. We still got a lot more to share with each other, right?" Daitan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"C-C-Can you stop being an idiot for just one minute and let me appreciate what's happening right now?!" Akane yelled at him.

"Sure thing, come here." Daitan held his arms out wide.

Surprisingly, Akane threw herself into his hug, breaking down and sobbing onto his shoulder as she did so.

Daitan began to gently rub her back, and Hoshi joined in right after as well. The three of them all had tears leaking down their faces as they cried together.

"We'll move forward together to save this world with Kizuna and the others, right?" Daitan asked hopefully.

"Y-Yes." Akane cried out. "Absolutely! Without a doubt!"

"For Kuro-Chan, and Ken-sensei, and everyone else we care about as well," Hoshi added.

…

Outside their small crying bubble, Kizuna smiled as she held Chris in her arms. "Now this is a sweet sight to behold."

"Please, do not do something to ruin it for them," Glass said next to her in a deadpan.

"Aw, come on! I can't even try making one Earth Hole to shatter the moment?" Kizuna teased.

"I'd rather we not waste any more tax payer's money on fixing another hole in the floor," L'Arc commented behind them. He was still rubbing his sore face while glancing at the indent that it had left on the ground nearby.

"Hmph!" And Therese was still pouting angrily. The poor man.

"Party pooper." Kizuna pouted back at her older brother, who smirked back at his tiny sister. L'Arc then rubbed a hand through Kizuna's hair, causing her to shriek. "Stop noogieing me! I'm too old for this!"

"Too bad! It's been a while since I was able to feel like your older brother! Ahahahahaha!"

Glass chuckled at the two's antics quickly devolving into chaos within the span of a few seconds. Therese found it almost impossible to keep pouting at such an adorable sight. Yet one would be remiss if they didn't notice the one important addition Daitan and Hoshi had acknowledged earlier had also been made a part of all the Hero's help guides there.

Holy Jewel:

Core Method: [Sharing]

Second Method: Unknown

Third Method: Unknown

Fourth Method: Unknown

Yes, the methods of the Three Cardinal Heroes could also be shared with Kizuna and the other Heroes from her world.

So that meant…

The tearful group hug continued for another moment. Then, all three Heroes nodded their heads as one. "Alright, Hoshi, I think it's time you tried telling us about that [Growth Revision] method of yours again," Daitan suggested.

"Of course." Hoshi smiled softly in response.

"Mind if we join in, Kiddos?" L'Arc moved forward, still grinning while hugging Kizuna to his side. "We've got quite a few methods to share between us too."

"Not at all!" Akane stated excitedly.

Slowly, the Heroes went through all of their known methods one at a time.

As the methods appeared on their help guides, Kizuna, then Glass, then L'Arc began sharing their methods in return. Kizuna added in Kyo's Book Method [Revised Edition] while Glass supplied Ethnobalt's Boat method [Item Boost].

[Revised Edition] essentially made a copied weapon form stronger the closer to the original it was. It'd be like copying the first Iron Spear a blacksmith had ever made instead of the fifth version based on the original design made by the blacksmith's apprentice. It was mainly useful for books, as a first edition would be far superior to a tenth edition while also being a lot easier to find compared to other weapon forms, but regardless, it still worked with other weapons.

And even after you copied a weapon form, if you found a more original version of it, the method would copy that over the original form it'd copied, making it stronger as a result. So you didn't have to worry about being locked out of better copies of weapon forms if you copied a worse edition of it first.

As for [Item Boost], it gave bonuses based on the items stored in the weapon's inventory. This included drop items from monsters, as well as herbs, ores, tools, weapons, etc. There were also lists of items one could collect that'd unlock additional bonuses once the list was completed.

To put it in other terms, it was like a collector's wet dream. The more of a hoarder you were, the better.

The Otherworlders watched their stats all go up and up with each method that was shared amongst them. The strongest boost came from [Sharing], as it boosted the power of all power-up methods the more they were shared.

The stats of the Heroes all went up higher and higher than any of them, even Glass and L'Arc, had thought possible!

Glass in particular looked stunned. She was on the verge of collapsing to her knees and sobbing again.

With this kind of strength… she could finally protect her world! She'd always be able to stand at her best friend's side! Her hard work after all these years had finally received a huge payoff with the vast increase in stats and power her weapon forms all saw across the board!

"Guys, with this, we'll be able to save our world!" Daitan said happily.

"Y-Yeah…" Hoshi was starting to cry again, but it was for a good reason this time. "We really can."

It was all well and good… though, with all the methods shared, one that Daitan shared made Akane ask an important question. "So if [Skill Rank] allows you to make your skills more powerful, why the hell haven't you been using it before now?"

"Oh, uh…" Daitan went silent, his face paling just a bit.

Even Kizuna and the others were looking at him in confusion. You see, [Skill Rank], unlike other power-up methods, did have a visible impact on one's attacks that others could see. As one used it to upgrade their skills like 'Air Strike Shield' to 'Air Strike Shield II' or 'Air Strike Shield III' up to V or X depending on the skill.

In other words, it was not only a power-up method that could have come in handy. It was also one that would have given a clear indication of what one of Dai-tan's power-up methods was way earlier on. This would have allowed Kizuna to ask him about it, learn it for herself, and use it to prove to the Otherworld Heroes that methods could be shared so they had this discussion much sooner.

This would have made everything beforehand SO MUCH EASIER and could have drastically changed the way things had gone down, including the prevention of Daitan having to pull off that stunt of his that would never be mentioned ever again…

…

"To be honest… I kind of forgot about it, heheh." Daitan chuckled nervously. "I didn't understand how to get the points needed to upgrade skills when I was first summoned, and then it just… fell on the backburner forever."

…

Yep. That was why it'd never come up before now.

He really was an idiot. Through and through.

"YOU BAKA!" Akane slammed Daitan into the tiled floor of the Hourglass room.

She not only broke through the floor but at least another dozen feet into the ground.

The whole city shook, and seismographs over in Lapis sounded the alarm as they caught large tremor readings from the other side of the world, indicative of a large earthquake beginning to make an appearance.

Only, seconds later, the readings vanished entirely. And the scientists were left scratching their heads in befuzzlement once again.

It would become a great mystery that would continue to bedazzle the minds of Lapis's scientists for many decades.

"Hahahahaha!" Meanwhile, Daitan was laughing at the bottom of the pit his body had made. "This is amazing! You're so strong now Akane! I'm surprised this didn't hurt even a bit!"

"IF YOU THINK THAT FLATTERY IS GOING TO MAKE ME FORGIVE YOU, THEN FORGET IT! GODS, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT DAITAN! WHY DO I EVEN PUT UP WITH YOU?!" Akane screeched back while the Blunt Hero easily climbed out of the massive crater that his body had left.

"Because I'm just that awesome." Daitan wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously.

"AS IF!" Akane screeched as she turned her back to the shorter man. However, one would have been blind to not notice the blush that appeared on her cheeks.

She seriously hadn't had that kind of thought about Daitan of all people, had she?!

"Urgh, now I'm going to have to pay to get that fixed too," L'Arc grumbled as he stared at the extent of the damage.

"Don't worry, you're the King so we all know you have plenty of money to cover this mess." Kizuna winked at her older brother.

Everyone in the room started laughing. And Akane couldn't help it as she joined in too. L'Arc's pout deepened, and Therese began rubbing his back in sympathy, even though she was laughing herself.

Oh well. What mattered now was that they did trust and believe in one another. It was even reflected in Akane's second method: [Trust].

It not only raised the stats of those you had trust in. But you also received an increase in stats the more people you had that trusted you.

After spending so much of her life being unable to trust no one except her parents and her grandparents… after having to face the traumas she'd acquired as a teenager head-on…

Akane Haori had finally come out on top…

She had friends that she could trust in once again.

Nothing could have made her happier.

---

The leader of Lapis sat in a chair in L'Arc's castle, staring blankly ahead of him.

He could not recall much of the previous day. He knew that Ryoma and Cole had escorted him away from the battlefield. At some point, he'd returned to Sickle via an Hourglass along with a good portion of his army. What remained of the coalition fleet was en route, being protected by the majority of the fleet Hinoka had brought along with her.

The losses they'd suffered were innumerable. So many men, women, and gems had lost their lives… yet the death of his eldest brother had hurt Corrin the most out of them all since it had been cut short by his own hands.

He'd always looked up to him when he was younger. Even after Xander left Lapis on bad terms, Corrin had dreamed of one day being able to reunite with him. To welcome him back. To be able to work with him to make their country a better place. And…

…

Even if he had come back, it wouldn't have made up for the fact that they were still several siblings short.

Corrin stared down at the carpeted floor. His eyes were misty with emotion.

He wished… he wished that he could take it all back. That he could have had just one chance to try and talk things through with Xander. To learn why his eldest brother had left and become his enemy. Why…

Just so many whys… whys he would never obtain the answers to, since the person that the Emperor wanted the answers from was now dead and would soon be buried by Luvar forces at their capital.

He just… he just couldn't face this grief and pain right now… just why…?

…

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, is it alright if I intrude for a moment?"

A voice spoke up at the door of the room. Corrin lifted his eyes to glance up at first, then lifted his head as he recognized the individual who had walked in.

The tall person had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung over their shoulder. The androgynous figure was dressed like a merchant with plain but high-quality clothes.

Corrin recognized them as Altorese, one of Kizuna's oldest friends. Alto had a fairly hard-to-pin appearance which confused most newcomers about what gender he/she was. However, thanks to Alto's assistance alongside Kizuna in putting him on the throne of Lapis, Corrin knew firsthand that Altorese was a woman. A woman who loved making a profit more than anyone else in their world and thus didn't obsess over her appearance.

So long as she could make some money, she was happy the way she was.

"Is there an important reason for why you wish to see me right now?" Corrin finally spoke. "I wish to be left alone."

"Yes, your brother and advisor did seem very persistent about that. But I managed to squeeze by them with the help of your wife. She listened when I said I had an important message to deliver to you."

"..." Corrin continued to lifelessly stare at the merchant sourly. Yet Alto simply smiled at the Emperor with her business-like smile.

"I promise it'll be worth your time. I'm not charging anything for it either, since it was already paid by the sender." Alto promised as she took a letter out of a pocket from her shirt.

"And who paid to have this letter delivered to me?" Corrin asked sarcastically.

"Xander."

…

…

…

…

…

A long silence stretched out as Corrin stared at Alto, first in surprise, and then in disbelief. This was followed by shock as she handed the letter to him to check, and he realized that it was addressed to him in Xander's familiar handwriting.

Tears pricked at the corners of the young Emperor's eyes, but he didn't say anything as he wiped them away. He finally tore open the seal on the letter, and two pieces of paper fell out from it.

He unfolded the larger one and then began to read the message addressed to him.

Brother,

If you're reading this, this means I died on the field of battle. I probably died to one of the Heroes, either that or I died facing you. I do hope it was the latter. I wouldn't like it very much if I died to some knave wielding a hero weapon. Especially since I had something important to tell you to your face.

I don't know if you know this. It happened sometime after I renounced my vow to Lapis and was exiled, after all. But I held our sister Elise in my arms the day she died.

The last thing she said to me, when I held her bleeding and broken body in my arms?

Lapis needs more from you. Not just your strength. What we need is caring... a warm hand… and tears.

I didn't take her words to heart. I failed to do so. Yet you did somehow, without even being there to hear them.

You've done well, Corrin...

"N-no... I'm still so weak. I'm still no match for you... Why did you let me win, Xander? TELL ME! WHY?!" Corrin yelled out loud.

The man began to sob.

"You still... pushed me in the end... just like when we trained together… I tried so hard to become strong enough to lead our nation… but it still wasn't enough… I was never enough to help everyone out… I wasn't able to help you out…"

He came upon the next part of the letter. And it was as if Xander was speaking to him at that moment.

Dry those eyes, Little Prince. This was my choice in the end, not yours. If indeed, you were the one to kill me, then I won't let you hang my death over your head. In the end, it was my choice to make. And I chose to die hoping to get things through to you.

Do you know what my favorite memory is, even after spending so long in exile?

Sharing a laugh with you, Elise, Hinoka, Leo, Ryoma, Azura, and the others around the dinner table.

I think Leo had his boots on the wrong feet that day. Takumi was griping about not being allowed to go practice with his Bow, Azura was working on her latest song… and Camilla was trying so hard to make you laugh but utterly failing to do so. In the end, we all ended up laughing at her antics, and it was seeing all of us laugh that made you laugh with us.

In my heart I have so many memories of us siblings having fun together... even amid all our studies, even while we were trained to assume our positions of leadership of Lapis's government and nobility, those were the happiest days of my life.

You might wonder… why did I leave, why did I choose to fight you, against my home country?

At first, it was foolishness, a bruised ego, and spite.

But then, my self-imposed exile allowed me to witness the world at large in all of its unsightly glory. And once I had done so, I could no longer look upon Lazuli's glorious walls without bitterness and hatred tainting my heart, even after my anger at losing the throne to you had faded and got replaced with shame.

"Xander…"

I'd like to think that things could have turned out differently in another world. We could have fought side by side together. But here, it would have been impossible. Not after learning the terrible truths that the Demon Lord had shown to me.

I am hoping that I was able to get across what I wanted to say to you on the field of battle, but just in case, I will put it on paper here as well. Because of my travels, I was able to discern why Lapis had remained in seclusion for so many generations. Why it'd been centuries since royalty or any of the high nobility had decided to have any kids of their own.

Our seclusion did keep us safe. I cannot deny that. But it also made our people stagnate and slowly grow weaker over time. The knowledge handed down by our ancestors was slowly destroying us just like our enemies would have wanted. Yet I did not have an answer back then for how to lead Lapis out of the rut it had placed itself in.

It was after you were chosen by the people to lead us when our parents died, that I finally saw the direction Lapis should have gone all along.

You, Corrin… you took the first steps in ending our country's isolation. You opened up our country to the world. You began trading more freely with other nations, exchanging technology and other things that made the world overall a better place. Better yet, you married Hinoka, and became the first royal couple who bore their own child themselves, rather than picking an heir from the earth of the palace's garden.

I regret that I'll never see the face of my niece for myself. I can only imagine how cute she must be.

You put our country on the right path, Corrin. I won't deny that. However, there are some things I cannot allow you to remain ignorant about going forward. Not anymore.

I hope to impress that upon your mind on the field of battle. If I haven't, or I was unable to, please refer to the second page. Contained in it is a summary of what I have learned about our family and country's history over the years. As well as what the late queen and our mother had shared with me in private while training me to assume the mantle of emperor.

I won't reveal all of it, as some of what the Gem People thought we knew before was proven false by my experiences with the Demon Lord. However, there is still some truth to be found in our ancestor's words passed down by the Jewel Hero. I hope they will help aid you as you lead Lapis down the road.

…

Corrin looked at the second sheet of paper that'd fallen out when he opened the letter. He almost felt tempted to read it then and there to find out what Xander was talking about.

However, his eyes caught the next lines of the first page, and he kept on reading it to the end instead.

I… I'm sorry… I let you slip away from me, brother. As the crown prince... I only wanted what was best for our family. I decided not to tell you any of what Mother shared with me before out of fear that it'd lead Lapis back to seclusion once again. I only wanted to protect you all and see Lapis finally step onto the world stage for the good of our world…

But in the end… Azura died, and so did Elise, and Camilla, and Takumi, and many others besides them to those whom Mother warned me about.

Those tyrants living in other parts of our world. The government officials of the Musical Instrument's country who gave the order for Azura to be assassinated during our campaign against the Demon Dragon. The delegates from the Harpoon's nation alongside their hero who kidnapped Camilla, raped her, and left her body to rot in the plains outside Lazuli. The generals of Mikikage who fell upon Leo and Takumi during a multinational military training exercise, killing them both in a fit of anger and claiming that it was an 'accident'. Sakura, sweet innocent Sakura, who set up a volunteer hospital in Mikikage to help out the commoners struggling there, only to disappear without a trace.

The individuals who tailed Elise to that village when I let my guard down… who ambushed her, fatally injuring her and pinning her death on the local monsters that'd remained in the area, while I held her dying body in my arms.

I did what I always told you not to do. I let my feelings overrule my duty. In the end, it was my undoing. Is that… is that justice?

…

What?

No… that couldn't have been true. The reports Corrin had been given… what he'd found from observing the scenes where his siblings had died…

Corrin continued reading. There was not much of his brother's words left.

No matter. If you are reading this, then you have already prevailed, little prince. I couldn't lead this world or Lapis into peace. But you, you can. And you will. You can do the things I couldn't.

I know it will likely come down to a clash of ideals. If… when, you win, I want you to do one thing.

I don't want you to change your ideals. But I want you to learn from mine. To take the truth that is in them and add them to your rule. I do not wish for Lapis to go back into seclusion, but neither do I wish for it to ignorantly destroy itself while facing the enemy that wants to extinguish our world.

I do not wish for our family to lose any more siblings than it already has.

That's how you'll surpass me in the end. That is how you'll help to save our world. And, hopefully, with this drive, you will be able to bring me and our lost siblings to justice.

I'm counting on you, Corrin… the youngest of my brothers, but the greatest of us all.

Yours truly,

Xander Onyxite

…

…

Corrin slowly put the letter down. An unreadable expression was on his face.

"Did you finish reading it, Your Majesty?" Alto asked curiously. "Is there anything you wish to verify with me?"

"... … … what he said about my siblings' deaths… is it true?" The Emperor asked.

Alto frowned but answered. "As it's been several years since some of their deaths, I couldn't exactly verify 100% for all of them. Sakura, in particular, I haven't managed to find anything... but from what I was able to gather for the others, yes, I can reasonably say that their deaths were likely not an 'accident'. Camilla, in particular, was definitely murdered by the Harpoon Hero and his entourage. That information was suppressed at the time, for the sake of preventing an international incident. I only know of this since I spoke with your brother at length about their deaths and many more things when he requested me to deliver this message to you in the event of his passing."

Corrin breathed in sharply. Before he could ask, Alto continued. "Among the things that were disclosed to me by the general, was that there was a living witness to at least one of these murders. One of Lady Camilla's former retainers, Selena.

"Princess Camilla and her were both kidnapped under the guise of being future bargaining chips against Lapis. Except, when Camilla learned that the Harpoon Hero kidnapped the two of them so he could turn them into his own personal sex slaves, she rose up and wounded him, buying time for her retainer to escape with her life.

"Selena didn't see the moment when the Harpoon Hero killed your eldest sister. But she knows that whatever had happened, he is ultimately responsible for the state she was found in."

…

…

Corrin remained silent. Still staring at Alto in disbelief. "How… where is she?"

"She changed her identity and is living in a small village, far away from Lazuli. She chose to cut all ties with her old family and friends in fear of them facing retaliation if the knowledge of her survival became public." Alto answered. "That is why she never tried to contact you either. After learning how the Harpoon Hero and the other delegates from different countries had been given diplomatic immunity inside of Lapis, she feared returning to the Capital and getting discovered."

…

Corrin fell back into his chair. His eyes stared out ahead of him again. "Are… were all the incidents with my siblings linked as Xander claimed in the letter?"

Alto simply shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly about the link Xander made between them… but he also had information given to him by Kyo. Perhaps there is more info regarding that in the second half of the letter. But even if there isn't, you don't need to worry about it. If I'm to assume correctly, based on what I heard and saw in the Throne Room before I delivered this to you, Kizuna might have gotten an even more damning collection of information from Kyo before his death."

"I'd suggest talking to her after this, Your Majesty. If you're feeling up for it, that is."

"..." Corrin didn't answer, and Alto stood up to leave the room.

"Was there any particular reason why you were working with Xander and Kyo for the last while?" Corrin asked before she left.

"Oh, what makes you assume that?" Alto asked curiously.

"Xander paid you to personally deliver that letter to me. That meant you had to be in the area." Corrin said, suspicion in his tone.

"Eh, I can admit that they were old friends, and they also paid well too!" Alto said happily. "You know how I have a weak spot for money. And Luvar needed a loooot of resources for the construction of its fleet."

…

Corrin continued to glare at her though. And eventually, the merchant sighed.

"In my defense, all of this was going on for years, long before the Book Hero had returned and pressured the Parliament into giving him emergency power to carry out that crazy world-spanning military conquest of his. As soon as I learned that Kizuna was back and saw the writing on the wall about what was about to happen, I wanted to make a quick exit, but I was strongly urged to remain where I was and continue to overlook the economic development of Luvar. I was not involved in any of its military affairs.

"Call that treason if you want. It is what it is.

"If you are still not convinced about my loyalties, the only reason why I was able to leave the country and have the surveillance around me pulled off was because Xander permitted it a few days before the battle, so I could deliver this message to you in its aftermath." She said, her tone finally turning serious. "Kind of a bummer that it had no additional compensation attached to it, but whatever. I'll call it a freebie since your brother was a good business partner."

…

Corrin hung his head. "I'm… I'm sorry. This letter is worth more than every kinhan in my nation's treasury."

"Hmph." Alto began to smile again. "It's fine to be suspicious of me. Like I said, I have a weakness for money. But at the end of the day, I am Kizuna's friend, and anyone who is a friend of Kizuna's is a friend of mine. I would sooner choose to fall on a blade, rather than willingly betray her and the ideals she carries. Even if I was offered all the fortunes in the world and beyond for it.

"Speaking of which, I should go say hi to her and explain where I was and what I've been up to these last few years before that information becomes public and I get a lynch mob chasing me. I'm getting the feeling that she is going to require my expertise and connections very soon. And I sense a lot of money coming out of such a venture for myself!"

With a wide grin on her face, Alto marched straight out the door. Leaving Corrin inside all alone.

…

The Emperor of Lapis reflected on his brother's letter for a long while. As well as their duel.

He felt a large ache in his heart. He'd lost another sibling. And yet, that same sibling had seen to it to arrange for his final words to still reach him.

Corrin should have realized it. Xander had probably wanted to ensure they had a duel face-to-face together, whether in the air or on the ground. That was probably why he hadn't just tried to obliterate his brother en route to Luvar, or why, at the start of the duel, Xander had thrown away the Replica Spear.

More tears pricked at the edges of his eyes, and the Emperor's body trembled as he clutched the piece of paper to his chest.

Maybe he could have taken off both of Xander's hands. Maybe he could have stabbed him in the legs instead. Maybe he could have done or said something to convince his brother to settle for peace.

…

That was the issue though. Xander hadn't wanted peace. The fact that he'd written that letter for him before going off to battle spoke volumes of how prepared Xander had been to die by Corrin's hand.

Corrin finally allowed the tears to fall from the corners of his eyes. There had been no other path. Xander had wanted to face him on the field of battle, and…

He'd died, with such a peaceful smile on his face…

…

Corrin wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Xander… brother, I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to your advice before," Corrin spoke aloud.

The man had thought the lesson he was imparting to his younger brother to be so important that he'd stake his own life on the line to teach it to him instead of entrusting it to anyone else. He'd been who he'd always been, cold and ruthless, just to make sure the message got through.

He could see now why Xander wouldn't have made a good ruler. He knew the flaws his eldest brother had all too well… but that didn't take away the fact that he was right.

As Lapis's ruler, he had to do more than be kind and appease others. He had to be the voice of reason for the nations. And beyond that, he had to stand against those whose goal was to overthrow his beloved world.

He looked at the second folded piece of paper. He thought more about what Xander had said and then knew that whatever his mother's words contained, he could not allow Lapis to go back to what it'd been before. An isolated nation with little to no contact with the outside world.

That'd help nobody.

He couldn't just act for the sake of his country or his family anymore. He had to act for the sake of the whole world. That was far more important than anything else.

…

"I really have been a complete idiot." Corrin shook his head, chuckling as more tears fell from his eyes.

"That much is true." A woman's voice spoke from the doorway.

This time, Corrin looked up to find Hinoka standing there, their daughter sucking on her thumb while her mom held her in her arms. "Then again, you're my idiot." The Empress said while smiling happily. "So I don't particularly mind."

"H-Hinoka!" Corrin leaped across the room, throwing the two pieces of paper to the sides as he embraced his wife and child.

Hinoka hugged him back with one arm. "I'm sorry I told you to stay behind!" The Emperor immediately began to apologize. "I should have never told you to stay out of the conflict!"

"I understand. You wanted to keep me out of danger." The Queen said calmly. "You also wanted me to make sure that nothing would happen to our country or to our daughter… I understand why you made that decision, Corrin.

"But dear, if you ever decide to go off on your own, while leaving the majority of our army behind to defend something that has plenty of other things to defend it, I will beat the everliving crap out of you. And then I'll heal you up so I can do it again."

…

"I-I understand, I'll keep it in mind." Corrin sweatdropped. Then, as he let go of his wife, he remembered that she was still holding their child.

And then, he realized something else. Something he'd noticed during the battle but had been unable to think about back then.

"Wait a second, I JUST REMEMBERED, YOU BROUGHT KANA TO A BATTLEFIELD!?" Corrin shrieked at his wife.

"Yeah, what of it?" The Warrior Queen responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Gah!" Kana chose that moment to take her thumb out of her mouth and raise her little arm happily to her Daddy.

"Gotta raise her to be tough, otherwise, she'll become as soft and squishy as her daddy. Isn't that right Kana?" Hinoka spoke in a high pitch while making a funny face for her daughter. Little Kana began to giggle at Mommy's antics.

…

Corrin groaned as he rubbed his hand across his face. "I don't even have the words to describe how wrong that is."

"Tough, I say that I'm right, so you're outvoted." Hinoka stuck her tongue out at her husband.

"Hey, I'm the one who's the Emperor of Lapis here!" Corrin complained.

"And I'm the Empress and this little bundle of joy in my hands is our heir. Since she seems to agree with me, I say we outrank you. So your complaint is overruled." Hinoka smirked before looking down at their daughter. "Right, Kana."

"Mama!" Kana yelled happily.

"... urgh… outvoted by my own kid…" Corrin pretended to shrivel up on the inside. The happiness radiating off of him in that moment though helped the gloom from before to fade away. And he decided on something in his mind.

"Alright, I promise that I'll do better from now on... I do hope you'll forgive me if I mess up again though."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to have some forgiveness stored away for when you inevitably try to take everything on your shoulders again." Hinoka jabbed.

"Ouch. That little faith in me, huh." Corrin grimaced.

"I just know you that well." Hinoka leaned forward and planted a peck on his cheek. "But I still love you regardless. And will be there to share your burden, whether you want me to or not."

"That's what I promised you when we exchanged our wedding vows, after all."

"... heh, alright." Corrin rested his arm over Hinoka's shoulders. Joining her in looking down lovingly at their red-haired daughter. "I will try to do better. I promise."

"You already are." Hinoka smiled as she raised Kana enough so Corrin could touch noses with his child. "We'll both do better from now on. And we'll see to it that our fallen family members are avenged so that Kana and her future siblings will be able to grow up in peace."

"... future siblings?" Corrin suddenly asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"You didn't think I'd want to stop at just one, did you?" Hinoka teased. "I want at least two more. Three if you're up for it."

The imperfect rulers of Lapis both began to laugh. Eventually, after grabbing both the messages Xander had given to him off the ground, the royal couple left the room together with their daughter falling asleep in her father's arms.

There was still a lot for them to work through… there was still much to be done.

But Corrin and Hinoka had ultimately come out of this experience the better because of it.

It was time for the duo to lead their nation into the future.

---

Author's Notes:

Don't worry, I won't say too much here after what I unloaded up top. All I can say is, I'm going to look forward to posting these next two chapters. You all will understand why soon enough.

---

Hero Clips!

---

Just Naofumi: Part Three

---

"Just keep in mind that this means you'll be referring to me by just Naofumi from now on. No more of that Sir or Lord crap." Naofumi added on with a devious smirk.

"URK!" Dou-Lon looked like he'd just been sucker-punched. "A-Are you really sure you want me to do that, Sir Naofumi? I could have sworn you got really annoyed by people calling you that in the past."

Naofumi's eyebrow arched up in confusion. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't be asking you to drop the titles otherwise."

"I mean… are you really sure you want me to call you by Just Naofumi from now on?" Dou-Lon pressed for clarification.

Naofumi, being too dense at the moment because he wanted to go back to daydreaming about his wife friend and him at the altar, shrugged his shoulders in response. "Absolutely."

Dou-Lon sighed. "Alright, whatever you say then, Just Naofumi." The hakuko muttered defeatedly.

Ha, there we go. Now Naofumi would never have to deal with Naofumi calling him by Sir or Lord in front of others ever again-

…

…

His brain finally caught up to what he'd just unleashed at that moment. "Oh no…" He uttered in terror.

"With that out of the way, am I allowed to get back to training now, Just Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked curiously.

"No… No… NO! NOT AGAIN!" Naofumi screamed.

"Eh, what's going on?" Kizuna asked curiously where she was separating from her friends.

"I don't really know. But I think my husband here just gave everyone permission to refer to him by Just Naofumi again." Raphtalia answered.

"You're kidding! Just Naofumi, is that true?!" Kizuna put her hands on her hips with a pout. "You didn't even allow me to do that when we first got to know each other in the Infinite Labyrinth!"

"It has been a while since he allowed us to refer to him as Just Naofumi," Glass said, pondering to herself in thought.

"Yo, Just Naofumi, how's it taste being the most bullied one in the room now!" L'Arc cackled like a maniac to himself.

"SHUT UP, BOY! I'M IN NO MOOD FOR YOUR SHENANIGANS!" Naofumi screamed at him.

"Too bad, Just Naofumi, Just Naofumi, Just Naofumi, Just-" L'Arc started screaming in a singsong tone.

Naofumi proceeded to equip the Shield of Diligence and bring out the Shield of Wrath III on his Float Shield skill before throwing himself at the cackling young king with a vengeance.

"YOUR ASHES WILL BE ASHES BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU, BOY!" Naofumi promised.

"Whoa! Careful there, Just Naofumi! You might pop a vein in your head at this rate!" L'Arc continued to cackle before singing 'Just Naofumi' in his horrid singsong tone again.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Daitan and the other Heroes stood confusedly next to Aksel and Maya, who were watching the show with matching smiles on their faces. "Again, I have to ask. Is this normal?" Hoshi asked the tall knight.

"As normal as it ever gets around here," Aksel replied with a shrug. "Heh, I've always been a fan of the Just Naofumi joke though. Glad to see it make a comeback again after all this time."

"Me too. Oooh, you think we can get the chance to call him Just Naofumi too?" Maya teased next to her favorite knight.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naofumi darted past, his flaming Shield trying to impact against L'Arc's body, but the redhead avoided each one of his strikes, laughing to himself while all the while still goading the Shield Hero on with his musical rendition of 'Just Naofumi' that he was coming up with on the spot.

"You're gonna need to try harder than that, Just Naofumi. I'm milking this scenario for all its worth."

Naofumi continued to scream as the Throne Room was steadily destroyed by their antics. But he never did manage to land a hit on the redhead thanks to how much higher his stats had become.

"Didn't that happen later in the chapter though?" Hoshi asked confusedly.

"Shhhhhhh." A tall hooded figure rested his hand on the Ofuda Hero's shoulder. "Just allow the crack to happen."

Hoshi looked over his shoulder in shock, but much like the random man who'd tried to speak sense in a previous omake, the hooded figure was nowhere in sight.

Eventually, the entire throne room and several of the surrounding rooms were completely destroyed, and L'Arc laughed over an exhausted Naofumi who'd run out of time for the day to use his Diligence-Wrath combo.

Oh well, Naofumi got the last laugh in the end, as the repair bill was handed to L'Arc by a very unhappy-looking Minister Stone.

Not even one doumon was taken from taxpayer money to fix the damage the Scythe and Shield Heroes had caused to the castle.

---

Till Next Time

Allen